Hopefully we can now get down to working as a squad in training after that farcical break straight after the window closed. Some of our squad are still strangers at this stage which is crazy. We will get much better i am sure.

At least our new squad will have a week together on the training pitch at last now. Should help the new guys settle in and help us play with more cohesion

Just reflecting on the disallowed goal, great strike that deserved to stand. Saiss is difficult to drop but with Kilman's performances and Marcal fit you wonder if it's time for a spell on the bench.

comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 13 minutes ago
Coady is a great lad. Can't help but have a smile on my face whenever he is interviewed.
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Just found it on youtube, he is very good

That said Goldi, can't see Nuno dropping him from a winning side against Newcastle. Think 9 players pick themselves, perm 2 from 3 for the midfield duo, Neves and Donk for me.

I thought Saiss did well on the ball but it isn’t his position and defensively he was caught out time and again.

Can only really remember Saiss being caught out once. Thought most of out problems came down the other side. Harrison had so many chance to cross the ball for them.

We barely saw Costa after the opening 20 minutes on the other side though.

Agree wulfrun if we play two in central midfield it has to be Neves and Dendoncker for me.

We have a choice of three for left wing back now including Ait Nouri but I suspect Marcal will get the call.

Do think we will see rotation between Neto, Podence and Traore depending on the opposition

Semedo has been a mixed bag so far. At times he looks a classy player, other times he has looked suspect. See what he is like after a few more games. Better as an attacking wing back than as a defender I suspect

Really hope Marcal isn't going to get games ahead of Ait-Nouri a month from now. We are supposed to be changing our style aren't we? Marcal would be leaning toward the defensive aspects and not the attacking ones like Aït-Nouri would.

Not convinced yet on this change of style, we're seeing one or two instances a game of individual players getting forward more but rarely with support. Defensive shape is still the priority.

Agree, the change of style talk is bolloks and if the change is just a forward run or two from other players on occasion then Nuno isn't a genius after all

Ironic that we looked worse performance wise this term than ever before but are having our best start points wise.

Hell of a finish by Saiss by the way and although the offside was correct it is a bit daft how far back they go when reviewing goals.

The change of style is primarilly to thwart teams who have sussed us out. That's OK, but why not revert to the tried and tested counter-attacking against sides which are vulnerable to it?

I don’t think there’s any radical change of system but there is quite a change to the team. Semedo, Kilman, Marcal, Neto, Podence are all quite new to the starting 11 and they are different to the players they have replaced. What Nuno has said is that he wants the new players to play their own game and not be clones of the likes of Doherty, Jota and Saiss (in the back three). By allowing them to bring their own game that will make us a different team and it will take time for that new style to develop. And we have Silva, Vitinha, Ait Nouri and maybe Shabani and Otasowie who in time will bring their style as well. We are a good team, we don’t need a revolution but we do need to evolve

Fair comment DJ but must admit although I'm happy enough with the points tally, the performances have frustrated me since probably even the away game at Villa last season. As you say it's probably a step on the journey to something better soon but the attacking fluency goes missing with alarming regularity at the moment but then returns to remind you of how it used to be.

Reading all the bollox that was on here prior to the break, justifies the reason I hardly come on here during a match.

We were away to a team that is strictly an attacking force from the start, as they have been in all of their matches thus far.

We defended well in the first half and Nuno was able to sum them up. The second half was totally different and we played much better.

There are still some on here that apart from being totally impatient, don't understand that the new players are having to settle in and considering Nuno had so many players away on International duty, I think the team played as well as could be expected. To me it was a typical away performance, against a side who will upset a few this season.

So, well done Nuno and the lads in keeping yet another clean sheet. Patricio tops the charts with 3/5 so far, equal with Martinez of Aston Villa 3/4.

I haven't seen a single post saying the players have had enough time to settle? In fact i suspect every single poster here has said we are behind other teams with regards to training together and settling in thanks to nonsensical international breaks.

First half we were not great and we didn't defend above and beyond, we managed to scrape through level. We gave them nine shots first half, it makes no difference if they wasted them, the comms actually said that was the second highest amount of chances created in a first half this season or some stat similar.

Second half much better, why not just play that way throughout? They had far less chances second half with us playing that way so where is the logic in trying to contain first half and giving the opposition far more chances? seems counter productive to me?!?!

comment by Oldgoldilox - 1 Carl Ikeme (U17303)
posted 9 minutes ago
Fair comment DJ but must admit although I'm happy enough with the points tally, the performances have frustrated me since probably even the away game at Villa last season. As you say it's probably a step on the journey to something better soon but the attacking fluency goes missing with alarming regularity at the moment but then returns to remind you of how it used to be.
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Yeah we aren’t playing fluently but there’s been a few changes and since the transfer window ended Nuno has hardly had the squad together at Compton. Hopefully we will see better performances as the season settles down but to be 6th in the league when we aren’t playing at our best can’t be bad news.

We will see much better performances a month from now.

comment by wolfieintheSunshineState (U16306)

Reading all the bollox that was on here prior to the break, justifies the reason I hardly come on here during a match.

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Let's hope we hear other peoples' opinions much more from now on then if that's what we'll gain.

Typical of Wolfie to make up everyone elses arguments to suit his own.

Next 4 league games sees us play Newcastle, Palace and Southampton at home and Leicester away. Must be the chance of 7, 8 or 9 points from those to consolidate a position in the top 6. And there’s surely improvement to come so we have given ourselves a great base to work from for another good season

One of the signings I thought we were short of from the summer was a new centre back but Kilman looks well on track to fill that spot. Reading that he won 100% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels yesterday. Plays with a great deal of maturity and calmness and could already be on the way to making that position his own